Last Monday, a cohort of juniors and seniors returned to San Francisco from a language and cultural immersion trip in Colombia. This trip took place from Jan. 11-17th, and students spent the time exploring the local Columbian culture.
This trip takes place each year in Jan. and lasts for 10 days. Any junior or senior taking Spanish in the International Bachelorate programme had the opportunity to submit an application in Sep., according to IB Spanish teacher Antony Reyes.
“My favorite aspect of the trip is watching the students’ response to people, cultures, foods, music, dances and environments,” Reyes said. “The best part of the trip for me is when students participate in something that is totally new to them with an open and positive attitude, and the openness to try anything,”
This trip is coordinated through Convent and Stuart Hall’s global platform director Devin DeMartini Cooke and is led by Antony Reyes and Diana Bolanos. Both teachers are Spanish teachers with Colombian roots, according to junior Arria Shimizu.
“A lot of people ask me what my favorite part was, but the thing I’ll remember most was more than anything we did,” Shimizu said. “What I loved most was spending time with everyone, getting to know each other, getting to know the Colombian people and their culture, and just immerse myself entirely and spontaneously into a whole new place; and now, just to be able to carry the experience with me in the future.”
Students traveled to several parts of Colombia, including cities such as Medillín and Jericó. For a majority of the trip, students resided at a coffee farm and became immersed in learning about the process in making and harvesting coffee. This trip has allowed students taking Spanish to explore more about Colombian culture and gain experience speaking through connecting with adults and children in their native language, according to senior Nina Swain,
“My favorite part was spending time at the farm, being able to meet local citizens and doing fun activities like zip lining and dancing,” Swain said. “I wanted to go because I wanted to immerse myself in the Spanish language and Colombian culture.”
Colombia is just one of the many travel and cultural immersion opportunities offered at Convent and Stuart Hall. In the spring, students will participate in upcoming trips to Japan, China, Europe and Mexico.
“I encourage students to go on this trip because it’s been described to be life changing,” Reyes said. “This trip shows students a completely new way of life and a reality of a place and gives them an opportunity to spend an entire week only in Spanish which is very beneficial.”
